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Design Dilemma Furniture

Dining Room Chair Ideas

last year

Hello,
We recently under went a main floor reno and our kitchen is now open to the dining room. Our dining set will now function as our kitchen table. I realize it may be dated and I am seriously contemplating trying to sell it but thinking about the quality (Bernhardt solid oak) and what the original cost was I am thinking to give it one last chance by switching the chairs to something a little more lighter and casual.
My kitchen will be Dove White cabinets with Taj Mahal quartzite counters and black bar stools that will pick up other black elements (railing, door hardware) around my home.
Any suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to post any ideas you may have in mind.

Featured Answer

Fori

last year

It's okay to use nice furniture in the kitchen. Perhaps change the fabric on the seats and throw down a rug. The set will look good with the colors you're going to be using in the kitchen. If you don't like it AFTER you have the kitchen redone, start browsing for something you like better.

(I would LOVE that beast of a table for my computer desk...if an office remodel is in your future....)

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Comments (10)

PRO
Beth H. :
last year
last modified: last year
original cost when?

I realize it may be dated

yes, it is. The color is really dated. And I believe that is Hickory (another source says maple) and not oak.

That yellowish wood tone and the ornate chairs/legs, really doesn't work in the setting that you have it. Perhaps if you had more of a traditional French type of dining room, you could get away w/it. Much like these two dining rooms:

(this entire collection is being sold for $1500)

This entire set is listed at $2500

I don't think new chairs is going to make this fit in.

But it's your room. if you're getting a new kitchen and new style, why not just sell this and get a new table/chairs?
Jilly
last year
last modified: last year
I like the table, it’s very nice.

It’s hard to say for sure about chairs, not knowing the decor styles you like. My first thought was chairs with caning.

I think these looks have a classic casual style, but still fresh.

Are you planning a rug? That’s another element that could factor in for an updated look.

I don’t know budget or exact measurements, so these are of course just general ideas.

If the style you like is very contemporary, all sleek and clean lines, chrome and shiny, for instance, then it probably won’t work. Need more info. :)

What do your barstools look like?
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@ SapphireStitch While it would be nice to wave a magic wand with an unlimited checkbook - I don't have that. I do have access to some money (got a HELOC). If some of the changes need to be done in stages and can be done effectively - we can do that, because the more money I have to pull upfront from the HELOC, the more I'll end up paying in interest. (yuck). I'm also not averse to acting as my own general contractor/project manager, if needed; I've done that before (successfully) But I'd rather not have to overall manage the project, just because my current employment is a boatload more demanding than my previous employment. The nice thing is that we don't have a defined deadline where "this must be done by" - no one is getting married, boatloads of relatives aren't coming to visit, etc. However, the kitchen as it currently stands is a source of daily irritation. We're getting to the point that if anyone is already in the kitchen, we try to avoid going in there until that person has left the kitchen. Tempers flare....we've got my boyfriend (who was envisioning a quiet, child-free retirement), my teenager (while she's not as much of a drama queen as some teens - she's just starting the teenage years, LOL), and me - frustrated as the primary food purchaser, preparer, organizer, clean-up person. And if my boyfriend happens to suddenly realize his blood sugar has dropped - get the hell out of the way in the kitchen. He's not very good at listening to his body - he literally passed out one time when his blood sugar dropped too low - he dashed into the kitchen, grabbed a glucerna and the last thing he remembered was opening it up - but he woke up on the floor sitting in a puddle of the stuff. (I wasn't home at the time). When either I or my teen are in the kitchen and if boyfriend does the mad dash into the kitchen - we pretty much have to drop what we are doing so he can grab something and while he stands there and he starts shoveling whatever down his throat. And since the space is so tight - it can mean leaving stuff cooking on the stove, etc. One time he dashed in, grabbed a breakfast sandwich out of the refrigerator, yanked what was already cooking in the microwave out, and threw his sandwich in. Anyhow, I digress. I know that some of the things we want are going to be big-ticket items - new cabinets, granite or quartzite countertops, slide-in induction stove. That's why I'm also looking for cost-efficient plans, such as instead of moving the sink to the middle of the room, let's keep it on the same wall and just shorten the distance from the hot water heater to the new sink location. Let's not blow out any of the exterior walls, and we can keep the current windows, dishwasher, and refrigerator. If replacing the 10'x13' current laminate would be cheapest to match new hardwood to the existing hardwood, rather than ripping it all out and putting tile down in a 20'x13' space, I'm fine keeping hardwood. If a nice, medium-stain maple cabinet is cheaper than white painted cabinets, I'm find with the the stained version... I prefer it, personally. Rather than a huge pantry cabinet, if building a pantry closet with adjustable shelves is cheaper, I'm fine with that (plus with all the small appliances and bulk-purchases from Costco and BJ's - I think it would suit our storage needs better). If getting an island fits the layout, but is out of reach - I'm fine holding off on installing island cabinets and countertop and using a kitchen table in the meantime. And because we don't have a "get it done by" date... once I have a really solid design/layout... I have the time to shop different cabinet lines and stoves, wait for sales and then to be ready to capitalize on hopefully a decent deal. I don't know if it's true, but I did see some articles that indicate the best time to shop for kitchen cabinets is November to early January.
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PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Sell it and purchase a new table and chairs and do not spend the kind of money you spent on this set.

The design of the set is not one you could even paint and expect it to fit into a modern room. The style is too 90s, just not classical in design.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
Sorry but it does not work in the space at all . I know you think about how much it cost years ago but really used furniture is just ahuge loss for the seller all the time but honestly trying to make this work with new chairs not IMO going to happen.Can we see the new kitchen please that might help a lot. The chairs are the most expnesive thing often in a DR . Sell it , or give it away and move on.
Helen
last year
As others have posted, I think you need to let go of what it cost years ago since presumably you got years of use from it.

That said, what you do really depends on your finances. If you have the money to spend for a new dining room set, then go for it. Otherwise live with it as many people live in homes with less than ideal decor. I used a table that was not my taste for many years and when I upgraded a few years ago the replacement table and chairs cost well over $10,000.

My experience in terms of getting rid of even high quality furniture that isn't fashionable is that nobody wants it and you can either donate to a charity; find a friend or family member who needs furniture or attempt to sell it on craigstlist or equivalent for a minimal amount of money.
Linda.Linda2
last year
When I have those doubts about expensive items my husband always tells me we got our monies worth and either we should sell it or give it away. It's time for someone else to enjoy it..

Charities will benefit and you can enjoy your new purchase. Everyone wins
Maureen
last year
last modified: last year
To help with decision, have you calculated the cost of solid chairs, which will be needed due to high usage. Another thought is the satisfaction of donating or selling really cheap. I recently gave away a $3,000 carpet (bought 20 years ago) and it went to a group home. I was so happy to help with this good cause.

If you decide to keep table, given your reference to black, perhaps a black caned curved back chair may work; casual yet traditional.
er612
last year
last modified: last year
The shape of these barstools resembles your dining chairs:
Taj Mahal Quartzite Kitchen Countertop · More Info

Can you post your barstools?

https://www.designnewjersey.com/features/past-forward/

https://www.bluegraygal.com/kitchen-remodel-before-and-after/

This kitchen matches your cabinet and counter selections so here are some side by side staining options for the dining set:
cda1028
last year
Think transitional That’s part of your past and can be easily integrated with your present and future Find something contemporary to use for visual appeal on the table top and consider how well it’s going to function with family and friends gathering around a casual, hospitable accessible spot

i have my mother’s 1967 dining room Henkle Harris oval Colonial maple table in my tiny kitchen bay window eating area with my 1974 Ethan Allen dining room cane back birch chairs The host chairs are in the dining room with my mother’s six dining room chairs and a wall long Ethan Allen library unit that functions as a china cabinet

i’ve had nothing but positive comments in the seven years I’ve used these combos it’s my life, my style. Why waste good stuff that has value and emotional appeal to all who experience it?

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